Note:

This chapter was revamped drastically. I suggest you read it, for those who already have. : ]

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Prologue:

The Past

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"Did you love him?"

"I still do."

...

The sun graced the world with its light, beyond the horizon of the eastern waters, as the gyrations of its volition persisted to transcend the mortal mind. A young couple traipsed the shores of the said sea. Amidst them was a vow – a vow of love brought forth by not of the abstinence of propensity, but of an amorous transcendence. Together, they ran.

The adversaries sent out to hinder their bond continue to pursue. The couple knew very well that any form of resistance would be for naught. This was reality. Its greatness mattered not – Love alone couldn't win a war. Harboring that very thought within their minds, they bid their time – hiding, scurrying, escaping – with only a solitary ally: time. As wayward as time may have seemed, it was the only factor that the couple could depend upon. They counted on time to wither their enemy's will.

However, although time's mirth may have lied on the favors that its perpetual capabilities entailed, it lied even more so on the consequences that these said favors posed. Too little did the couple know about this. As time eroded the opposing forces, it too allowed fatigue to materialize within the couple's visage. They rested.

A humble abode was ensconced within gargantuan walls. This barrier began with the work of the hands of man, but completed by the magnanimity of nature. It served as this cabin's irreconcilable defense and its life-long companion. The entrance lied in the outskirts of the kingdom, deep within the eastern woods. That was where the couple stood.

The aroma of strangely fragrant decay and copacetic flora lingered in the never stagnant air. Vegetation flourished, albeit barely noticeable under the dim light the moon garnered from the sun's rays. Critters, large and small, traipsed around the area, veiled by the uncut grass and the interlaced canopy of branches. Beasts dwelled in deeper roots.

"Trust," the male's narrow lips curved into a smile that conveyed assurance. The young man stood tall, but not exceeding the normal. He had tresses that raged like flames in hue, but tame in style. His eyes glowed the same color, and more than any part of this young man, his eyes were embedded with most of his soul. This young man's name was Akashi Seijuro.

He offered a hand to the object of his eternal affection, none other than a young woman entitled Kuroko Tetsumi. Powder-blue eyes clashed with scarlet orbs. A wordless exchange was engaged. The sky's reconciliation with the flames conceived something even more than a multitude of conversations – it held a certain promise.

Seijuro ended their utter-less conversation. His eyes glided above her lithe form that stood firmly amongst the forest's insufferable wind. She had extremely long hair that mirrored the same shade as her eyes. Her face, as usual, favored no expression.

"Always." Her voice was strong, much like his, yet with a certain lack of pristine authority. The young woman could feel the cold's breeze thread through the strands of her hair and through the slits and cuts on her dress, as she took his hand. She dared not to quiver.

The pair easily made their way through the maze-like layout of the forest, with Akashi as the lead. After all, this was quite simple for the brazen boy. He had spent years venturing within this forest, and his impeccable intellectual quotient helped greatly. This place had already been vividly painted across the canvas of this red-head's mind.

Upon coming across their destination, they ceased their advance. They stood before a tree. Its physique was far wider than any other in the forest, albeit it fails to do the same in length. The sight truly held greatness, but its years of temerity had long faded into the past. The tree no longer had life.

Akashi hauled himself upwards, successfully setting foothold on a branch. He latter assisted the blunette. With each other's aid, they made their way towards the peak, much like the vanguard's homecoming. And despite their splintered hands, scarred bodies, broken selves, they ascend.

Instead of a base, an orifice was present on the tree's apex. The young man entered the opening, disappearing into the thick blanket of darkness. The girl followed not long after, albeit with a hint of dubious fear. She landed on the young man's arms with a sigh of relief. The passageway was not exempted from her scrutiny.

An earthy fragrance dominated the air. It did not take a genius to determine that the couple was currently underground. The ceiling hung low, but not quite low enough to graze the girl's head. The solitary source of luminescence was the moon's light that shone scantly above the tree's rift. Beyond it seemingly harbored nothing but darkness. This was the path they must advance towards.

Calloused fingers intertwined with soft ones with a gentle tug. The couple paced forward, plunging deep within the darkness. All swaths of light had long succumbed to the dense darkness as they progressed forward. The girl could feel the walls gradually brush against her skin ever so slightly in their advance. Air seemed to get thinner with each step, despite the cold wind's occasional blow. Her head felt like a feather above her shoulders. Nausea threatened to fall upon her. However, there was that unhindered catharsis that kept her on her feet – his warmth.

"Stairs," he informed. The heat of his breath brushed against her face. She inhaled, albeit voluntarily. She always loved that trace of mint laced with an undeterred base of earl gray of his breath. His arm slithered around her waist, breaking the trance.

They proceeded to move forward. Upon reaching the highest point of the staircase, she could make out a faint creak, followed by the sound of metal against metal, presumably caused by the young man. Not long after, a part of the ceiling directly above the couple disappeared into the light that poured within the cavern's opening.

They arrived.

What captured the young woman's attention in prior was yet another tree that thrived at the center of the expanse. At its base was a cabin, ensnared within the tree's body. Its colossal roots were left scattered and groveling on the field's overgrowth. The land was lush with vegetation. However, this paradise occupied only a limited amount of land. Its domain was confined within walls that seem to extend up to the heavens themselves.

It was beautiful.

The couple made their way inside the cabin. Its interior, like the rest of the building, was built to last. Only minor fissures and traces of age were visible to the human eye.

"My uncle used to live here," the boy stated. Fatigue was present in his voice, albeit masked by that unwavering depth of stalwart authority. "He claimed to have found this place during one of his infamous escapades."

"I see…" she allowed her response to linger in the comfortable silence in the insipid distance between them. Her blank expression was compromised by that barely noticeable smile across her lips. "It's beautiful."

…

The night sky was settled across the entire scope of the heavens. A jamboree of iridescent luminescence was scattered across this sky, all of which are adorned by the red hue that dripped from the moon's magnificence. Kuroko Tetsumi looked upon this sky through the panorama provided by the cabin's aperture.

The sight engendered a certain sensation within her – the irreconcilable maelstrom of soporific relief and of warning. She knew very well that catharsis was something she could rekindle with, albeit temporarily, given the circumstances. However, there was that distinct foreboding that abraded against her conscious mind.

"Are we safe here?" she exclaimed. However, her shout was a whisper – an askance to the void. She already knew the answer. What enticed her to rouse the query was the possibility of the assurance Akashi Seijuro had never provided in word to finally be articulated. Her inquiry received silence as response, albeit accompanied by the materialization of his warmth against her back.

She allowed herself to be engulfed within the greatest aphrodisiac of all – his aroma. A distinct allure was embedded across the breadth of his scent. It was based with the most pleasurable acrimony that never seemed to fail in bequeathing an ambiguous bite; thus entailing it with a strata of irony on its own. Each moment was an empyrean of its own design. It conceived but one fault:

Her.

The way her pungency threatened the purity of his fragrance sickened her. She loathed it. However, she was well aware that the possibility of altering one's scent was as impossible as it is irrelevant in the situation that was before her.

To her delight, her vanilla scent proved to be recessive to his, as the two aromas converged into an inscrutably soothing banal. No moment longer, not only their fragrance proved to be one, but, too, their entire being. The breath's distance between them was omitted into nonexistence. All those years of lack and of abstinence finally bared fruit as the embodiment of their union.

At that moment, she understood. Her desire for assurance had been assuaged. This was his answer.

In one another's arms, they bid their time. Unbeknownst within their minds that their foes did the same – gradually deteriorating into the rancorous, deep within the grasp of the marionette's manipulator.

Clarifications:

[1] A reference to the old tale that speaks about moon stealing light from the sun.

Author's Ubiquitous Angst Zone:

Hiiiiiiii~ : ]

In all honesty, I'm not quite sure if I should continue this fic. This would probably be a long haul (OTL so much shiz to do). So, before I get into making the next few chapters, I'd like to hear your opinions.

Constructive criticism is appreciated.